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Beirut rallies for answers
Relatives of Lebanese people seized by Israel gathered in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Beirut to demand information about their loved ones, with Israel estimated to have seized dozens of people in Lebanon since 2024.
“Relatives of Lebanese seized by Israel during its last two wars with Hezbollah held a rally in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Beirut”
Ibtissam Hussein, a 54-year-old mother of three holding a picture of her husband Waddah Younes, said, “We want (the ICRC) to go in and just reassure us on his health,” after Younes was captured while fighting Israeli troops in Blida, southern Lebanon in October 2024.
The rally came as Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Al-Hajj Hassan said Lebanon had “20 prisoners at the hands of the enemy,” at least nine of them “captured during the war on the battlefield,” while Anwar Yassine estimated that at least 32 people were seized, including 22 civilians.
Hezbollah and its supporters reject the talks and the agreement, with the group refusing to lay down its arms, and Zainab Bahja asked the Lebanese government to treat the issue “as a priority.”
Rome talks hinge on remains
In Rome, the seventh round of US-sponsored talks between Lebanon and Israel stretched into a third day as the discussion turned to Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, with Lebanon seeking release while Israel tied progress to demands reaching back more than four decades.
A Lebanese official cited by The New Arab said, “Israel demanded during the negotiations the return of the remains of Lebanese Jews killed during the civil war,” and to know the fate of those who went missing, in addition to revealing the fate of Ron Arad.
The New Arab also reported that Israel brought Arad into the discussion, and that Israel was reported to have divided detainees into categories, distinguishing civilians from fighters and Hezbollah members, raising the prospect that some could be released while others remained in Israeli custody.
The New Arab added that Lebanon says it does not possess the information Israel is demanding and may have no means of obtaining it, while a Lebanese source said the conditions were “extremely difficult, and closer to impossible conditions.”
No official tally, families press
Lebanese authorities do not have a final tally of the number of prisoners currently held in Israel, according to an official Lebanese source cited by AFP, as families continued to gather in Beirut to demand answers and release.
“Lebanese authorities do not yet have a final toll of the number of prisoners currently held in Israel”
Ibtisam Hassan told AFP, “We will keep shouting for their release,” after carrying a photo of her husband Wadih Younes, a Hezbollah fighter abducted by Israel in October 2024 in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah announced earlier this year through MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan that Lebanon has “twenty prisoners held by the enemy,” noting that at least nine were “captured during the war in the battlefields,” while former Lebanese prisoner Anwar Yasin told AFP that estimates place at least 32 prisoners, including 22 civilians.
Among the relatives is Zainab Bahja, wife of Hassan Hamoud, who told AFP, “We call on the Lebanese state to treat the issue of prisoners as a priority,” after accusing Israel of kidnapping her husband and burning her home.